ALBANY -- A state Senate panel is expected to issue a report Thursday recommending that state Sen. Hiram Monserrate should be either censured or expelled from the chamber, according to two sources familiar with the committee's workings.

The special committee, chaired by Sen. Eric Schneiderman, was formed after Monserrate, D-Queens, was convicted of misdemeanor assault for dragging his girlfriend out of his apartment during a December 2008 incident. He was found not guilty of more serious charges, and says he was trying to help the woman to a hospital after an "accident" that required facial stitches.

Members of the panel -- who declined to comment citing the ongoing nature of its work -- reviewed court documents, including grand jury testimony, before arriving at their recommendation. Monserrate declined to appear before the committee; on Tuesday, his spokesman declined to comment.

"I cannot see this not being expulsion," said Sen. Marty Golden, R-Brooklyn.

Many senators are disquieted by the charges against Monserrate, and some -- including Sen. Neil Breslin, D-Bethlehem -- have called for his resignation. But his removal would create a problem for Democrats, who control the chamber by a razor-thin margin and would require Republican assistance to pass any legislation.

Censure, however, would most certainly prompt outcry from women's groups and many female legislators. Some groups, including Common Cause and the New York chapter of the National Organization of Women, have criticized the committee's closed meetings.

"It seems they are making a solid recommendation that needs to be made," said Susan Lerner, the executive director of Common Cause.

Jimmy Vielkind can be reached at 454-5081 or jvielkind@timesunion.com.